Licensed Assessment Specialist II (LCSW, LPC, or LMFT) — The Clinical Front Door of Our Agency

Location: Roanoke, VA (with occasional coordination across our Bedford site) Reports to: Clinical Supervisor | Direct Reports: None

Pay: $68,000-$79,000. Licensure status drives starting wage.

Bonus: $3,000 signing bonus for Full Licensed (LCSW, LPC, LMFT); $1500 signing bonus for License Eligible

Benefits:

• Group Health
• Retirement Plan with matching Company Contribution
• Paid Time Off
• Paid Mental Health Days
• Free Licensure Supervision
• Free Unlimited CEUs

Position Summary

The Assessment Specialist II is a licensed clinical role responsible for conducting comprehensive assessments, screenings, and intakes for clients,  including walk-in and same-day service needs. This position serves as the licensed clinical front door for the agency, ensuring timely access to care.

Why This Role Matters

When someone walks through our doors in crisis, or calls needing same-day help, you are the person who decides what happens next. The Assessment Specialist II is the licensed clinical front door of our agency. Your assessment, your Level of Care determination, and your treatment plan set the trajectory of a client's recovery from minute one.

This isn't a role buried in the back office. It's clinical, it's fast, and it's high-impact. Every assessment you complete is the moment a person in crisis gets matched with the right level of care, and the moment our agency turns access into action

What You'll Actually Do Day-to-Day

Primary work — Assessments, Treatment Plans, and Initial Authorizations

• Conduct comprehensive clinical assessments, screenings, admissions, and intakes for both scheduled and walk-in clients.
• Make ASAM-based level-of-care determinations across our active service lines: 2.1, 2.5, PRSS, and Residential Crisis Stabilization (upon launch).
• Own the walk-in and same-day assessment function as the primary clinician, and help us scale capacity as volume grows.
• Build initial treatment plans for every client you assess.
• Complete the initial authorization request at the time of assessment, fully documented and clinically justified, then hand the package to our Utilization Review Specialist for MCO submission.

Treatment Plan Ownership During Initiation of Services

• Hold the treatment plan for clients you assessed until ongoing case management formally transitions to the assigned counselor.
• Update plans as needed during the initiation period and coordinate clean handoffs.

Documentation & Compliance

• Complete progress notes, discharge summaries, and all related documentation within Virginia Medicaid's 24-hour requirement.
• Maintain compliance with Medicaid, DBHDS, and internal policies.

Coverage & Oversight (Limited Scope)

• Serve as tertiary backup for group coverage when the Clinical Supervisor is on-site in Bedford and unavailable for Roanoke groups. (Primary backup is the Admissions and Discharge Planner; Secondary is the Clinical Supervisor.)
• Provide on-site clinical consultation in the Clinical Supervisor's absence

What This Role Is Not

To prevent confusion and help you decide if you're the right fit:

• This is not a supervisory role. Chart audits, documentation quality oversight, and clinical supervision remain with the Clinical Supervisor.
• This is not a Utilization Review role. You complete the initial authorization at the time of assessment; the UR Specialist owns review, submission, follow-up, denials management, and continued-stay reviews.
• This is not a long-term caseload role. You hold treatment plans only during initiation of services; ongoing case management transitions to the assigned counselor.
• This is not an entry-level or unlicensed position. There is no training pathway here for candidates without a clinical license or active license-eligible status.

Qualifications

Read This First — Who We Are Looking For

This is a licensed clinical position. Before you read further, please confirm you meet the following non-negotiables:

• You hold an active LCSW, LPC, or LMFT license in Virginia  or you are a license-eligible Resident/Supervisee with a documented, active path to full licensure within 12 months of hire.
• You have a Master's degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, or a closely related clinical field.
• You have 2–3 years of direct experience in behavioral health or substance use disorder treatment.
• You can independently apply ASAM criteria to make level-of-care determinations.
• You have hands-on experience with clinical assessments, intakes, treatment planning, and Virginia Medicaid documentation standards.

If any of the above is not true for you, this role is not the right fit, and we encourage you to apply for other openings instead. We review applications carefully and prioritize candidates who clearly meet these requirements.

Required Qualifications

• Master's degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, or related clinical field.
• Active LCSW, LPC, or LMFT license (or equivalent), OR documented active path to full licensure within 12 months of hire.
• 2–3 years of experience in behavioral health or substance use disorder treatment.
• Working knowledge of ASAM criteria and levels of care.
• Demonstrated experience conducting clinical assessments, intakes, and treatment planning.
• Knowledge of Virginia Medicaid guidelines, DBHDS regulations, and clinical documentation standards.
• Proficiency with EHR systems and Microsoft Office (or equivalent).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in high-volume or walk-in assessment environments.
• Direct experience with ASAM 2.1, 2.5, PRSS, and/or Residential Crisis Stabilization service lines.

Salary : $35 - $38